Eziyi Josephine Adetinuola,Amusa Yemisi Bola, Musa Ibrahim Olanrewaju, Adeniji Adegbola Oyedotun, Olarinoye Oyetunde Timothy, Ameye Sanyaolu Alani, Adeyemo Adekunler
With the decrease of life-threatening obstructive upper airway infections and the ongoing improvement of intensive care medicine, the role of tracheostomy has been changing. This study aims to investigate whether the indications and outcome for tracheostomy in this unit have changed over recent years. A retrospective chart review of 64 patients who had tracheostomy in our ENT facility between January 2002 and December 2008 was done. The age range was 2 months to 96 years with a male to female ratio of 2.8:1. The peak age incidence was in the age-group 0-10 (23.4%). Forty tracheostomies (62.5%) were performed as emergency while 24 (37.5%) as elective procedures. Transverse skin incision was employed in all the cases. Post operative complications rate was 10.9%. Upper airway obstruction still remains the most common indication for tracheostomy in our centre. Laryngeal carcinoma is the main indication for tracheostomy while conditions such as infections, which were one of the leading indications a decade ago, have diminished. Other indications included trauma, prolonged intubation, and adjunct to surgery. There was no tracheostomy related mortality.
Share this article